Draft Options: Shane Bowers

Given the unpredictability of this year’s NHL Entry Draft, there will be a wide variety of options that could be available to the Canadiens once pick number 25 comes around. One of those options could very likely be Shane Bowers, a Canadian centre going the NCAA route. He played with Waterloo in the USHL last season and has committed to powerhouse Boston University for the 2017-18 campaign. Seen by many as a safe pick who is likely to make the NHL at some point, he may lack the high ceiling that teams look for in a first round pick. While he could be an option for Montreal, a swing for the fences approach may be the way to go for a team consistently searching for offensive creativity.

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Scouting Report

By all accounts Bowers brings a lot to the table with his best attributes being his great skating and high compete level. He is a defensively responsible two-way centre that may not be flashy but gives it his all on every shift and is the kind of player that coaches love. The main drawback with Bowers appears to be a lack of creativity, which, in turn, leads to underwhelming offensive results. In Bowers the team that drafts him will almost certainly get an NHLer, but the chance remains that he may be a good third line centre at best – his floor is high, but the ceiling is probably rather low.

Timeline

As Bowers has opted to take the NCAA route for his development, he is not a prospect that can be expected to make an impact at the NHL level anytime soon. Most scouts are predicting that he will likely spend a few years at the college level, meaning it could be four or five years before he sees action at the highest level. Bowers is definitely a pick for the future, but if the Habs think he’s only a potential third liner, he may not be worth the wait.